HEADLINES
UK takes first step
toward new Hairier
BY GUY NORRIS
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has taken the first
concrete step toward develop
ment of an advanced Harrier by
awarding British Aerospace a
contract to build an integrated
flight and propulsion control
system (IFPCS) demonstrator.
BAe and Rolls-Royce have
studied options for a "son of
Harrier" but the MoD contract is
the first indication of serious UK
interest in sanctioning funds for
advanced short take-off and
landing (ASTOVL) research.
The deal comes at a crucial
stage of the UK/US memoran
dum of understanding (MoU) on
joint ASTOVL research, signed
in 1986 and due to expire in
January 1991. An executive
steering committee of the joint
team met in Washington three
weeks ago to review progress
before deciding whether to stay
in the MoU programme.
Within the last few weeks the
US Navy issued an outline opera
tional requirement for a short
take-off and landing aircraft to be
operational by 2010. The docu
ment is said to be almost identi
cal to one about to be issued by
the US Marine Corps covering an
A/F-18, AV-8B replacement.
Both have revitalised the US side
of the MoU and the MoD's con
tract to BAe is being viewed as a
parallel development.
The MoD says that the IFPCS
demonstrator programme "... is
to develop and demonstrate on
LOT orders ATR-72 L
OT Polish Airlines has ordered
j eight ATR-72 regional air
liners and placed options on a
further two. Polish trade officials
signed a contract last week at the
Hannover air show (see P 8).
The aircraft will be delivered
between June of next year and
November 1994 and are to be
used on international routes.
They are the first modern turbo
prop aircraft to be bought by an
Eastern European carrier. •
the ground a fully-integrated
system for controlling a combat
aircraft that employs thrust-
vectoring". The technology will
be applied to ". . . ASTOVL air
craft and short take-off and land
ing [STOL] or high
manoevrability aircraft that use
limited thrust vectoring".
The contract covers the
second phase of the work, the
first having involved BAe and
Rolls-Royce and outlined the
technology needed to meet the
Royal Air Force and Royal Navy's
ASTOVL/STOL • requirements.
This phase will look at definition
of alternative airframe configura
tions and building of models,
definition of the propulsion
system, engine and nozzle con
trol operation and control strat
egies and functions. •
Malaysia cancels
BY SIMON ELLIOTT
The Malaysian Government has abandoned a plan to buy
12 Tornado aircraft from British
Aerospace (BAe). The aircraft—
with a value of around £400
million—were regarded as the
cornerstone of a 1988 £1 billion
UK-Malaysia arms deal.
Malaysia is instead negotiating
with BAe to procure the Hawk in
an order which could number
over 20 aircraft.
It is not clear if the aircraft will
be the Hawk 200 fighter or the
Hawk 100 attack/advanced jet
trainer variant, a mix being a
possibility. The 200 and 100 ver
sions could be used to replace
the Royal Malaysian Air Force's
(RMAF) current A-4PTM
Skyhawk or F-5E Tiger II fleets
in the combat role.
A Malaysian contract for the
Hawk could be worth more to
BAe than a deal for the tri-
nationally built Tornado.
Financial problems are be
lieved to be behind the demise of
Malaysia's Tornado buy. One
RMAF source says that Malaysia
"has been looking at Hawk, as it
is cheaper than Tornado". The
RMAF's Tornado requirement
was for up to 12 aircraft—eight
Tornado IDS and four config
ured for an electronic combat/
reconnaissance mission.
The Tornado deal was orig
inally a priority for the Malay
sians. BAe's inability to meet
Malaysian demands for four
ECR-type configured aircraft has
continually delayed signature,
however.
The 12 aircraft are thought to
have been valued at around £25
million each. Spares would have
added 25% to the contract.
Pentagon relaxes ATF design secrecy
The United States Air Force has released drawings of the
two contenders for its Advanced
Tactical Fighter.
Based on the acquisition of
750 aircraft, the programme cost
is put at $63 billion—with a
flyaway cost of $51.3 million.
The Pentagon admitted last
week, however, that it was look
ing at cuts in the programme.
The Lockheed/General Dyna
mics/Boeing YF-22 contender for
the US Air Force's ATF has full-
span leading-edge slats, large
ailerons and trailing-edge flaps of
conventional appearance, as are
the twin fins and rudders. The
rectangular engine exhausts are
vectorable.
The Northrop/McDonnell
Douglas YF-23 team, which com
pleted an 8min test of its Pratt &
Whitney YF-119 engine last
week at idle power, shows input
from Northrop's B-2 experience.
The aircraft will carry missiles in
internal weapons bays and a GE
20mm cannon. •
YF-22 and YF-23
(inset) — contest
winner faces pro
gramme cuts as
the Pentagon
seeks ways to
educe costs
4 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 23-29 May 1990